Chapter 1
is the 1st chapter of Karneval by Touya Mikanagi. Short Summary A mysterious boy named Nai is captured and sold into slavery, having been bought by a woman named Mine. Upon attempting to seduce him, Mine minds a bracelet belonging to the organization Circus wrapped around Nai's wrist, and confiscates it. Concurrently, a man named Gareki, accompanied by several others, breaks into Mine's mansion, attempting to steal her valuables. Gareki happens upon Nai, and allows the boy to accompany him. Upon leaving, the two are confronted by Mine, who reveals herself to be a monster, and chases them down. The two escape, with Nai passing out upon accomplishment, and Mine is killed by a mysterious individual. Long Summary In a field of flowers, a man named Karoku gently tells his companion Nai to come to him, however, Nai is shown in the fetal position, caught in the tides of the ocean, his hand outstretched. With a saddened expression, Nai asks Karoku where he went. In the bustling city of depraved Karasuna, Nai is brought to the mansion owned by the magnificently rich Lady Mine, who congratulates Nai's captor for bringing her her request: a young boy. The captor then jerks Nai, and demands his name, who, saddened by the fact that he cannot find his friend Karoku, weakly answers the captor's demand. Thrilled by Nai's innocence, Mine declares that she'll crush anybody that the captor wishes in return for his service, to which he humbly thanks her. Mine then asks if its alright if he dies, and the captor replies that even if she does, because of their locale, Circus, the country's defense organization, won't get involved. Shortly thereafter, Nai is brought to Mine's bed, and, as she sits on top of him, tries to seduce him. However, such an act is to no avail, as Nai states his discomfort, calling the feeling "horrible" and Mine "heavy", prompting the woman to strike him. Upon doing so, Mine notices the bracelet around Nai's wrist, recognizing it as a Circus I.D., and begins to panic. Nai, snapping out of his stupor, sees the woman's inquisitive look, and states that the I.D. to have belonged to his friend Karoku, prompting the woman to ask who such a man is. On the rooftop of Mine's mansion, a man states that the women who work at the mansion have begun their patrolling of the grounds. At such a declaration, the man's partner sets off a small explosion, creating an entrance into the guarded mansion. As his comrades remark on his explosive prowess, the man demands that they just crawl through, and to not hurt the women who have nothing to do with their operation. Back in the mansion, Mine has stolen Karoku's I.D. from Nai, with which she torments Nai, telling him to come and take it back. Hitting him away, Nai repeats that the item belongs to Karoku, but Mine rebuts his statement, explaining that Circus is the nation's defense force, and that Karoku must have stolen the I.D. Mine then continues, stating that Karoku's disappearance is proof of the fact, and that stealing a Circus I.D. is a crime. Nai then asks what a "crime" is, prompting Mine to insult him, as she declares her desire to keep the I.D. and that she and Nai can be together forever, much to Nai's displeasure, who states that he must go and find Karoku. However, an explosion occurs, and Mine leaves, stating that she'll forget Nai's actions, and that she must go "clean", locking Nai in the room. Another small explosion then occurs, and the man who created the explosion on the roof appears. The man quickly finds jewelry, and pockets it, stating his desire to leave. Nai then quickly asks the man if he's going outside, to which he replies yes, prompting Nai to ask if he can accompany him. Seeing that the man has Karoku's I.D., Nai becomes flustered, and the man bargains with Nai, stating that he'll help Nai leave if he gives him any and all information about the I.D. when they escape. With Nai agreeing to the demand, the man introduces himself as Gareki, and frees Nai of his chains. As they prepare to leave, Mine arrives, and throws one of Gareki's comrades at him, who tells them to run, calling Mine a monster. Seeing Mine undergo a monstrous transformation, Gareki grabs Nai, and they, and Gareki's companion, run away. Mine then chases after the men, taunting them, and to ensure, at the very least, a short reprieve from Mine's presence, Gareki throws an explosive at her, allowing them to escape, taking refuge in a nearby room, where another of Gareki's companions, who has shot and killed one of the working women, resides, shocking the man. Mine, however, catches up, and makes a grab for Gareki and Nai, but Gareki throws Nai and himself to the ground, avoiding the monstrous woman's grasp. The woman instead grabs Gareki's companion, and begins to feast upon his arm, causing the man to scream out in pain, requesting that Gareki save him. Gareki raises his gun, preparing to shoot, but stumbles upon the corpse of the woman his companion killed, and stares at it as his companion screams out in pain. Still feasting upon the man's arm, Mine then derides herself for thinking of Nai as a pet, stating that if she had simply eaten him from the beginning, then she wouldn't be in this predicament. Meanwhile, his companion still screaming for Gareki to save him, the explosives expert merely stares at the corpse of the woman, and, seeing the tears in her eyes, grabs Nai's arm and runs away, declaring that their chance has arrived. Seeing this, Mine kills the man, and transforms, completely, into her monstrous form, declaring that she'll soon catch up with them. However, Gareki detonates a nearby device, creating a large explosion. In the streets of Karasuna, a hooded woman, named Tsukumo, is greeted by a suited man, who appears out of thin air, declaring that he has been drinking tea, waiting for her. Tsukumo becomes nervous, but the man declares that his presence has been erased, and suggests that they pay a visit to the residence of a certain woman. Reeling from the explosion, Mine is approached by a mysterious, cloaked man, flustering her. The man, however, glares at Mine, and states that if she didn't spend so much of her time objectifying people, then she may have lived longer. With that, the cloaked man grabs Mine's head and snaps her neck, killing her. Now far away from Mine's mansion, Gareki remarks on the danger he believes Circus to possess, questioning who the criminals really are, if they're supposed agents are monsters like Mine. Gareki then mocks the irony of human-eating people protecting the continent. However, Nai wonders, once more, if he'll ever see Karoku again, thinking of the pain he feels in his heart, and falls to the ground, completely exhausted. As Gareki moans about the complexity that Nai is creating, Nai reflects on Mine's words. Questioning what Circus is, Nai wonders if he'll find Karoku if he ventures to Circus. Characters in Order of Appearance Characters in bold denote the character's proper appearance Characters in italic are only seen briefly and have yet to make a proper appearance. #''Karoku Arumerita'' (flashback) #'Nai' #'Mine' #'Thieves' #'Gareki' #'Tsukumo' #'Hirato' Magic Magic in bold denotes the magic's first appearance. *None Navigation Category:Chapters